U.S. patent application number 14/464103 was filed with the patent office on 2015-02-26 for internally-heated thermal and externally-cool photovoltaic cascade solar energy system for full solar spectrum utilization.
The applicant listed for this patent is Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Invention is credited to David Bierman, Svetlana V. Boriskina, Gang Chen, Hadi Ghasemi, Andrej Lenert, Kenneth McEnaney, Nenad Miljkovic, Evelyn N. Wang, Lee A. Weinstein, Sungwoo Yang, Selcuk Yerci.
Application Number | 20150053266 14/464103 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 51454981 |
Filed Date | 2015-02-26 |
United States Patent
Application |
20150053266 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Chen; Gang ; et al. |
February 26, 2015 |
Internally-Heated Thermal and Externally-Cool Photovoltaic Cascade
Solar Energy System for Full Solar Spectrum Utilization
Abstract
A single-stack, solar power receiver comprising both a thermal
absorber layer and a photovoltaic cell layer. The stack includes an
aerogel layer, that is optically transparent and thermally
insulating ("OTTI"); a spectrally selective high thermal
conductivity ("SSTC") thermal absorber layer; a bottom OTTI layer;
and a PV cell layer. The SSTC layer includes a set of fins that
substantially blocks solar radiation absorption in the band where
PV cells are most sensitive. Photons with energies above or below
this band block range are absorbed by the fins and the absorbed
heat is conducted to pipes in the fin structure carrying a heated
thermal working fluid to heat storage. Photons with energy in the
band block range are reflected by the SSTC fins to the PV cell
layer. The bottom OTTI aerogel layer keeps the PV cell operating
near ambient temperature. The PV cell converts incident solar
radiation to electrical energy.
Inventors: |
Chen; Gang; (Carlisle,
MA) ; Wang; Evelyn N.; (Cambridge, MA) ;
Boriskina; Svetlana V.; (Winchester, MA) ; McEnaney;
Kenneth; (Cornish, NH) ; Ghasemi; Hadi;
(Boston, MA) ; Yerci; Selcuk; (Brighton, MA)
; Lenert; Andrej; (Cambridge, MA) ; Yang;
Sungwoo; (Somerville, MA) ; Miljkovic; Nenad;
(Cambridge, MA) ; Weinstein; Lee A.; (Somerville,
MA) ; Bierman; David; (Cambridge, MA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Cambridge |
MA |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
51454981 |
Appl. No.: |
14/464103 |
Filed: |
August 20, 2014 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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61868715 |
Aug 22, 2013 |
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61935005 |
Feb 3, 2014 |
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62014768 |
Jun 20, 2014 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
136/259 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H01L 31/0543 20141201;
F24S 30/425 20180501; F24S 23/74 20180501; F24S 80/52 20180501;
F24S 80/56 20180501; Y02E 10/60 20130101; F24S 23/31 20180501; Y02E
10/44 20130101; F24S 10/50 20180501; F24S 10/742 20180501; Y02E
10/47 20130101; F24S 70/225 20180501; F24S 20/20 20180501; Y02E
10/40 20130101; Y02E 10/52 20130101; H01L 31/0521 20130101; H01L
31/052 20130101; F24S 23/30 20180501; H02S 40/44 20141201 |
Class at
Publication: |
136/259 |
International
Class: |
H01L 31/052 20060101
H01L031/052; H01L 31/0525 20060101 H01L031/0525 |
Goverment Interests
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
[0002] This invention was made with Government support under Grant
Nos. DE-SC0001299, DE-FG02-09ER46577, and DE-EE0005320 awarded by
the Department of Energy. The Government has certain rights in the
invention.
Claims
1. A single-stack solar power receiver comprising: a. a first
aerogel layer, the first aerogel layer including an aerogel that is
optically-transparent in the visible and the near-infrared
frequency range and thermally-insulating in the mid- and far-IR
range; b. a heat absorption layer adjacent to the first aerogel
layer, comprising at least two metallic fins, the fins configured
to decrease energy absorption in a given band, the endpoint of the
given band in a range from 500 nm to 800 nm at the high energy end
and the endpoint of the given band in a range from 900 nm to 1100
nm at the low energy end, wherein the fins are connected so that
radiation in the given band is reflected and transmitted to a
subsequent layer in the stack, the heat absorption layer further
including pipes connected to the fins for carrying a thermal fluid;
c. a second aerogel layer adjacent to the heat absorption layer;
and d. a photovoltaic cell layer adjacent to the second aerogel
layer.
2. The solar power receiver according to claim 1, wherein the given
band is from 750 nm to 1100 nm.
3. The solar power receiver according to claim 1, further including
an optical concentrator that is located between a source of solar
radiation and the first aerogel layer.
4. The solar power receiver according to claim 1, wherein the heat
absorber fins are connected as a set of parallel fins.
5. The solar power receiver according to claim 1, wherein the heat
absorber fins are connected as a grid of fins.
6. The solar power receiver according to claim 1, wherein the heat
absorber fins are tilted at an angle to the axis of the stack.
7. The solar power receiver according to claim 1, wherein the heat
absorber fins are coated with a film that decreases the energy
absorption in the given band.
8. The solar power receiver according to claim 7, wherein the film
coating the heat the absorber fins is a composite dielectric
film.
9. The solar power receiver according to claim 7, wherein the film
coating the heat absorber fins is a composite metal-dielectric
film.
10. The solar power receiver according to claim 1, further
including a heat storage device connected to the pipes that are
connected to the heat absorber fins.
11. The solar power receiver according to claim 1, further
including a heat energy conversion device connected to the pipes
that are connected to the heat absorber fins.
12. The solar power receiver according to claim 1, wherein the
second aerogel layer includes an aerogel that is
optically-transparent in the visible and the near-infrared
frequency range and thermally-insulating in the mid- and far-IR
range.
13. A single-stack solar power receiver comprising: a. a first
aerogel layer, the first aerogel layer substantially transparent in
the band from 0.3 .mu.m to 1.8 .mu.m and substantially insulating
in the band greater than 2.5 .mu.m; b. a heat absorption layer
adjacent to the first aerogel layer, comprising at least two
metallic fins, the fins configured to decrease energy absorption in
a given band, the endpoint of the given band in a range from 500 nm
to 800 nm at the high energy end and the endpoint of the given band
in a range from 900 nm to 1100 nm at the low energy end, wherein
the fins are connected so that radiation in the given band is
reflected and transmitted to a subsequent layer in the stack, the
heat absorption layer further including pipes connected to the fins
for carrying a thermal fluid; c. a second aerogel layer adjacent to
the heat absorption layer and d. a photovoltaic cell layer adjacent
to the second aerogel layer.
14. The solar power receiver according to claim 13, wherein the
given band is from 750 nm to 1100 nm.
15. The solar power receiver according to claim 13, further
including an optical concentrator that is located between a source
of solar radiation and the first aerogel layer.
16. The solar power receiver according to claim 13, wherein the
heat absorber fins are connected as a set of parallel fins.
17. The solar power receiver according to claim 13, wherein the
fins are coated with a film that decreases the energy
absorption.
18. The solar power receiver according to claim 13, further
including a heat storage device connected to the pipes that are
connected to the heat absorber fins.
19. The solar power receiver according to claim 13, further
including a heat energy conversion device connected to the pipes
that are connected to the heat absorber fins.
20. A single-stack solar power receiver comprising: a. a first
aerogel layer, the first aerogel layer including an aerogel that is
optically-transparent in the visible and the near-infrared
frequency range and thermally-insulating in the mid- and far-IR
range; b. a heat absorption layer adjacent to the first aerogel
layer, comprising at least two metallic fins, the fins configured
to decrease energy absorption in a given band, the endpoint of the
given band in a range from 300 nm to 700 nm at the high energy end
and the endpoint of the given band in a range from 800 nm to 900 nm
at the low energy end, wherein the fins are connected so that
radiation in the given band is reflected and transmitted to a
subsequent layer in the stack, the heat absorption layer further
including pipes connected to the fins for carrying a thermal fluid;
c. a second aerogel layer adjacent to the heat absorption layer;
and d. a photovoltaic cell layer adjacent to the second aerogel
layer.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This patent application claims priority to U.S. Provisional
Patent Application No. 61/868,715, filed Aug. 22, 2013, entitled
"Internally-Heated Thermal and Externally-Cool Photovoltaic Cascade
Solar System for the Full Solar Spectrum Utilization." This patent
application also claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent
Application No. 61/935,005, filed Feb. 3, 2014, also entitled
"Internally-Heated Thermal and Externally-Cool Photovoltaic Cascade
Solar System for the Full Solar Spectrum Utilization." This patent
application also claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent
Application No. 62/014,768, filed Jun. 20, 2014, also entitled
"Internally-Heated Thermal and Externally-Cool Photovoltaic Cascade
Solar System for the Full Solar Spectrum Utilization." Each of
these three provisional patent applications is incorporated by
reference herein in their entirety.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0003] The present invention relates to solar energy systems and,
more particularly, to combination photovoltaic ("PV") and
concentrating solar power ("CSP") systems.
BACKGROUND ART
[0004] The development of high-efficiency dispatchable solar energy
conversion systems is critical to increase solar penetration into
the energy market. Two well-developed technologies--photovoltaic
("PV") power and concentrating solar power ("CSP")--have advanced
solar energy conversion in two different directions: while PV is
cheaper and more efficient than CSP, CSP has the dispatchability
that is required if solar energy is ever to replace traditional
base load generation.
SUMMARY OF THE EMBODIMENTS
[0005] In a first embodiment of the invention, there is provided a
single-stack solar power receiver. The receiver stack comprises in
order: an optical concentrator; a first aerogel layer that is
optically transparent and thermally insulating ("OTTI"); a heat
absorption layer that is spectrally selective with high thermal
conductivity; a second OTTI aerogel layer and a photovoltaic cell
layer.
[0006] In various embodiments of the invention, the heat absorption
layer includes metal fins. The fins may be made from or coated with
a band-block material that decreases solar radiation absorption by
the fins in the band where the PV cells are most sensitive. Solar
radiation in this band is reflected by the fins and passes through
the second aerogel layer to the PV cell layer. The heat absorption
layer further includes pipes connected to the fins with these pipes
carrying a thermal working fluid. Solar energy absorbed by the fins
is thermally conducted to the thermal working fluid in the pipes.
Working fluid heated by the pipes can be transferred to external
heat storage devices or converters connected to the pipes. Solar
energy reflected to the PV cell is transformed into
electricity.
[0007] In specific embodiments of the invention, the fins may be
connected in various ways including as a set of parallel fins, a
grid of fins and a honeycomb of fins. The fins may be coated with a
band-block filter comprising a composite film made of multiple
layers of dielectrics and possibly also metals.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0008] The foregoing features of embodiments will be more readily
understood by reference to the following detailed description,
taken with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
[0009] FIG. 1 shows a single-stack solar receiver in an embodiment
of the invention;
[0010] FIG. 2 shows an example of optimizing the front-side aerogel
layer thickness in the embodiment of FIG. 1;
[0011] FIGS. 3A-B show a parallel fin structure for the spectrally
selective high thermal conductivity ("SSTC") thermal absorber layer
of the embodiment of FIG. 1, while FIG. 3C shows solar radiation
absorbed or reflected by the fin structure;
[0012] FIG. 4 shows a fin grid structure for the SSTC layer of the
embodiment of FIG. 1; and
[0013] FIG. 5 shows an optical concentrator that may be used in the
embodiment of FIG. 1.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF SPECIFIC EMBODIMENTS
[0014] In various embodiments of the present invention, a solar
power receiver is provided comprising a single stack. This stack
includes both a thermal absorber layer and a PV cell layer. The
stack includes from top to bottom: a top layer, that is optically
transparent and thermally insulating ("OTTI"); a spectrally
selective, high thermal conductivity ("SSTC") thermal absorber
layer in which a working fluid is heated; a bottom OTTI layer; and
a PV cell layer. Solar radiation is incident on the top of the
stack. The top OTTI layer serves to reduce the radiation and
convection losses from the internally hot region SSTC layer to the
ambient. The SSTC absorber layer includes a set of metallic fins
coated with a film that substantially blocks solar radiation
absorption in the band where PV cells of the type chosen for a
particular embodiment of the invention are most sensitive (i.e., in
the limited frequency range just above the frequency corresponding
to the electronic bandgap of the PV cell material). Photons with
energies above or below this band block range are absorbed by the
SSTC's fins and the absorbed heat is conducted to pipes in the fin
structure. These pipes carry a heated thermal working fluid, to
transfer heat energy to a heat storage or conversion device
external to the receiver stack. Photons with energy in the band
block range are reflected by the SSTC fins to the subsequent lower
stack layers, i.e., the bottom OTTI and the PV layers. The bottom
OTTI aerogel layer keeps the PV cell operating near ambient
temperature and passes the non-absorbed solar radiation reflected
by the fins to the PV cell. The PV cell converts incident solar
radiation to electrical energy for transfer out of the receiver
stack. As opposed to conventional approaches that place a PV layer
on top of a thermal absorption layer, the splitting of the solar
spectrum by the SSTC minimizes thermalization losses in the PV
cell, helping to avoid excessive PV cell heating.
[0015] FIG. 1 shows schematically a solar power receiver stack 1
according to an embodiment of the invention. The stack 1 includes,
from top to bottom: an optical concentrator 10, a glass layer for
mechanical stability and humidity blocking 15, an aerogel layer
that is optically transparent and thermally insulating ("OTTI") 20;
a spectrally selective high thermal conductivity ("SSTC") thermal
absorber layer 30 in which thermal working fluid is heated; a
bottom OTTI aerogel layer 40; and a PV cell layer 50 that generates
electricity. The pipes 35 in the SSTC layer carry a heated thermal
working fluid to transfer heat energy to a heat storage or
conversion device 60 external to the receiver stack. The details of
the solar power receiver stack's layers in embodiments of the
invention are presented below.
[0016] Optically Transparent and Thermal Insulating ("OTTI") Layer.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the OTTI layers (20,
40) are silica aerogels. In other embodiments, other aerogels may
be used. Silica aerogels have an intrinsic spectral selectivity
that allows them to pass most of the solar radiation yet trap
infrared (IR) radiation. Intrinsic silica aerogels are good
insulators, with a room-temperature thermal conductivity less than
0.02 W/m/k. Such aerogels also can be more than 90% transparent in
the visible spectrum. The aerogel traps thermal emission from the
hot surface of the SSTC and conducts it back to the SSTC. Thus,
this top OTTI layer serves to reduce the radiation and convection
heat losses from the internally hot SSTC region to the ambient. In
a specific embodiment of the invention, the top aerogel layer may
be about one cm thick.
[0017] In some preferred embodiments of the invention, the top OTTI
layer includes an aerogel that is substantially transparent in the
band from 0.3 .mu.m to 1.8 .mu.m and substantially insulating in
the band greater than 2.5 .mu.m. Substantially transparent shall
mean with a solar weighted transmittance>80 percent over the 0.3
.mu.m to 1.8 .mu.m band and substantially insulating shall mean
with a transmittance<20 percent for the band greater than 2.5
.mu.m for the weighted spectrum of a black body at 400 C. The
bottom OTTI layer may include an aerogel with similar
properties.
[0018] In other embodiments, improved aerogels in the OTTI layers
may be used to increase the receiver efficiency and potentially
reduce solar concentration requirements. Silica aerogels are
transmissive at short wavelengths because there are no absorption
modes for silica at these wavelengths. However, Rayleigh
scattering, which is a function of aerogel pore size, reduces the
transmission for short wavelengths. By varying the pH during the
aerogel synthesis process, and/or the drying time during the drying
process, the pore size and Rayleigh scattering can be controlled.
Although silica aerogels are naturally strongly absorbing from 5-30
.mu.m, absorption from 3-5 .mu.m can be further increased through
the addition of water or other dopants (e.g., carbon-based dopants)
into the aerogel. The thermal conductivity of aerogels also depends
strongly on the structures, which should be optimized in
conjunction with optical properties.
[0019] Aerogel synthesis is well known and established processing
steps can be used to synthesize the OTTI layer. In a specific
embodiment of the invention, a procedure for synthesizing wet
silica gels by the sol-gel polymerization of tetramethyl
orthosilicate (TMOS) is followed. Because hydrolysis of TMOS is
much faster than that of tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS), NH.sub.3
is used as a condensation catalyst rather than HCl as a hydrolysis
catalyst. TMOS is diluted by methanol (MeOH) followed by adding
NH.sub.3 and water. One possible mixing mole ratio of chemicals is
NH.sub.3:TMOS:water:methanol=0.07:1:4:6. Then, the sol is gelled in
a disposal vial. After 1 week, the lid of the sol-gel mold is
removed followed by adding ethanol. For the hydrophobic treatment,
the aged gel is removed from the mold and transferred into a
stainless steel punched tray in the same ethanol. The hydrophobic
reagent (e.g., hexamethyldisilazane ((CH.sub.3)3Si)2NH) is added in
the ethanol and its ratio to the ethanol may be 1:9. The aged gel
is kept in the solution at room temperature. After 3 days, the
solvent is replaced with ethanol (EtOH) to be prepared for critical
point drying (CPD) process because EtOH is miscible with liquid
CO.sub.2. This procedure can be modified to tune the parameters of
the resulting aerogels.
[0020] The OTTI layer thickness can be determined by balancing two
concerns: while thicker aerogel layers are better insulators,
thicker aerogels also let less solar radiation through the OTTI
layer, which is detrimental to the system performance. Thus, the
thickness of the OTTI layer should be determined for the specific
application, given the optical and thermal properties of the
aerogel itself. In general, for each application the operating
temperatures and amount of solar radiation received must be known
to calculate the optimal aerogel thickness. Another consideration
is the cost and manufacturability of the aerogels. Very thick
aerogels, while possibly beneficial in theory, may be undesirable
for real applications due to cost or manufacturing considerations.
In general, higher SSTC layer temperatures call for thicker
aerogels, and higher solar concentration calls for thinner
aerogels. Since higher temperatures and higher solar radiation
concentrations often go hand in hand, detailed thickness
optimization should be performed. An example of optimizing the
front-side aerogel thickness is shown in FIG. 2. (Note: T.sub.hot
is the temperature of the SSTC layer.) In general, useful OTTI
layers can be as thin as a millimeter or a few millimeters or as
thick as eight to ten centimeters (although the cost frequently
makes this upper limit much lower). In some embodiments, the
preferred front-side (sun-facing) aerogel thickness will be less
than the back-side aerogel thickness.
[0021] In some embodiments, internally hot, externally cold
structures can be made by adding absorbing particles into the inner
region of the aerogel, or within a separate volumetric absorbing
region between the OTTI layer and the SSTC layer to further improve
aerogel radiative insulation characteristics in the far infrared
part of the spectrum. The particles are highly transparent in the
visible and near-IR part of the spectrum, and highly absorbing in
the far-infrared part of the spectrum. These may include doped
indium tin oxide, aluminum-doped zinc oxide or other materials with
appropriate absorption characteristics. Doping can improve the
thermal insulation properties of aerogels as the energy loss
through radiative channels--which can be captured via nanoparticle
absorption--constitutes a significant portion of the overall
thermal losses.
[0022] Spectrally Selective High Thermal Conductivity ("SSTC")
Absorption Layer. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, as
shown in FIGS. 3A-3B, metallic fins joined by metal pipes 300 are
used as the structure of the SSTC layer 30. The metallic fins 310
can be coated with a thin film band-block filter to allow photons
with energies in a narrow range (e.g., just above the PV cell band
gap) to be reflected through the fin structure in order to reach
the PV cells. For example, for a stack with a silicon-based PV
cell, a band block filter that decreases photon absorption in the
band from 750 to 1100 nm can be used. The spectral width of the
energy band of photons reflected by the fins may be different in
different embodiments to control which portion of the solar energy
is directed to the PV cell and which is harnessed as heat. Both the
low-energy cutoff and the spectral width of this band will also
depend on the type of PV cell used in a particular embodiment of
the invention. For example, indirect-bandgap PV cell materials may
require wider bands (with the high-energy cut-off potentially as
high as the highest energy of solar photons) and/or bands with
low-energy cut-offs above the PV material bandgap to compensate for
the low absorption close to the bandgap. In specific embodiments,
these photons are specularly reflected through the fin structure in
order to reach the PV cells. Photons with energies outside of this
range will be absorbed by the base metal of the fin, directly or
with an engineered absorbing layer. FIG. 3C shows radiation rays
340 in the band block range being specularly reflected by the fins
to subsequent layers in the stack, while rays 330 outside the range
are absorbed by the fins. Note that the heat absorber fins can be
tilted in some embodiments of the invention at an angle to the
vertical direction (axis of the stack). Heat generated in the fins
310 will be conducted to pipes 320 that are filled with a thermal
working fluid (e.g., Therminol VP-1 or similar). Metallic
structures are chosen to allow heat to conduct across the fin with
little temperature drop and to withstand the fluid pressures. The
number of fins and pipes can be chosen to meet system design
parameters.
[0023] In some preferred embodiments, for a stack with a
silicon-based PV cell, the band block filter decreases photon
absorption in a given band where the endpoints of the given band
are chosen from the range from 500 nm to 800 nm at the high energy
end and from the range from 900 nm to 1100 nm at the low energy
end.
[0024] In other preferred embodiments, for a receiver stack with a
Gallium Arsenide ("GaAs") or a Cadmium Telluride ("CdTe") PV cell
for example, the band block filter decreases photon absorption in a
given band where the endpoints of the given band are chosen from
the range from 300 nm to 700 nm at the high energy end and from the
range from 800 nm to 900 nm at the low energy end.
[0025] In embodiments of the invention, the metallic surfaces of
the fins 310, 420 may be coated with thin film coatings to create a
band-block filter that reflects only a select portion of the solar
spectrum with photon energies just above the PV cell bandgap.
Considering the requirement of very low absorption in the pass
band, all-dielectric interference filters may be used. Such filters
are made of multiple alternating low-index/high index thin films,
which can effectively reflect light in the selected range due to
the constructive interference of the reflected waves at each
interface. In a specific embodiment, the filter may comprise
alternating layers of SiO.sub.2 and TiO.sub.2 with each layer's
thickness on the order of a quarter wavelength.
[0026] In specific embodiments of the invention, the fins may be
arranged in parallel 300 (FIGS. 3A-3B), as a grid 400 (FIG. 4) or
as a honeycomb. Other arrangements of fins may also be used.
[0027] The dimensions of the SSTC structure may vary in order to
optimize the overall performance and minimize cost depending on the
heat transfer fluid, the optical concentration, the properties of
the selective coating, the exact nature of the incoming
concentrated sunlight, the performance of the other components,
etc. Nevertheless, the goal of the SSTC remains the same regardless
of the exact dimensions and that is to transmit a useful portion of
the solar spectrum to the PV cell while absorbing (thermalizing)
the rest of the spectrum. The absorbed spectrum is then collected
as heat via the thermal working fluid. In specific embodiments of
the invention, the SSTC structure shown in FIGS. 3A-B may be
constructed according to the range of dimensions shown in the
following table.
TABLE-US-00001 Parameter Value/Relation Diameter, D 0.5-5 cm Aspect
Ratio, AR 1-5 Fin Thickness, th 0.03-0.75 cm Pipe Spacing, w
.apprxeq.10 D; (>5 D) Fin spacing, S .apprxeq.10 t; (>5 t)
Height, H S AR; (>D) Total Collector Length 10-10.sup.3 m # of
Fins L/S
[0028] With the parallel fin geometry, as shown in FIG. 3B, the
SSTC receiver is very similar in design to existing heat sinks,
except that the fins have a spectrally selective coating. In some
embodiments, thin aluminum sheet metal can be used as the fin
structure, providing reasonable thermal conductivity and low cost.
The aluminum surfaces will be coated to provide the spectral
selectivity as described above. Copper tubing can be fed through
pre-cut holes in the fin sheets to assemble the fin array. The
connection can be ensured through press-fitting the copper tubing
through the holes. Soldering or brazing can then be applied for
improved thermal contact between the two pieces. In other
embodiments, other metals maybe used for the fin structures and
tubing. Once this array is assembled, a layer of aerogel material
in its gel form is placed above and below. To ensure conformance of
the aerogel layers, the entire piece (including fins and pipes) can
be placed in a large scale critical point dryer in order to create
the final aerogel. The dried layers can then be sandwiched between
a layer of glass 15 (top) and PV cell 50 (bottom) which are fixed
to a rigid housing. Two procedures that can be used for applying
the film coating to the fins include: (1) assembling the structure
(working fluid pipes through the fins) and then applying the
coating on the fabricated structure, and (2) applying the coating
to the fins, and then assembling the fins and pipes into the final
structure. In specific embodiments, one side of the fin may be
coated with an ultraviolet ("UV") absorbing layer and the other
side of the fin with an infrared ("IR") absorbing layer. In other
embodiments of the invention, metals other than aluminum, such as
copper, steel, etc., may be used for the fins.
[0029] Bottom Optically Transparent and Thermal Insulating (OTTI)
Layer. In various embodiments of the invention, the same design and
fabrication principles for the top OTTI layer 20 can apply to the
bottom OTTI layer 40. However, the top and bottom OTTI layers need
not be identical. In a specific embodiment of the invention, the
bottom OTTI layer may be about 1 mm thick, while the top OTTI layer
may be about 3.5 mm thick.
[0030] Photovoltaic Cell Layer. In preferred embodiments of the
invention, silicon PV cells can be used as the photovoltaic cell
layer 50 of the receiver stack 1. Silicon PV cells are readily
available as off the shelf components. In other embodiments, other
types of PV cells as are known in the art, such as Gallium
Arsenide, Cadmium Telluride or organic PV cells may be used as the
PV cell layer.
[0031] Optical Concentrator. In various embodiments of the
invention, the solar receiver may be provided with an optical
concentrator 10. To improve performance, the solar receiver may
provide concentration of the solar energy in the range of 5-100
suns as well provide a sun tracking system. Various embodiments of
such tracking systems are shown in FIG. 5 and include: (a) a
ground-mounted receiver and a Fresnel lens rotating around the
receiver center point, (b) a ground-mounted receiver and a Fresnel
lens rotating around the lens center point, (c) a ground-mounted
receiver and a Fresnel lens rotating around the system midpoint,
and (d) an elevated receiver and a ground-mounted linear Fresnel
lens concentrator (i.e., an array of independently controlled
reflector elements). Configuration (d) is a preferred embodiment
because this configuration provides: independent control over each
reflector element; a fixed axis of rotation for each reflector
element; a fixed receiver; fixed heat transfer fluid piping;
ability to turn the system "on" or "off"; and ability to clean
reflector elements.
[0032] While the OTTI, SSTC and PV layers may be adjacent to each
other as shown in FIG. 1 in preferred embodiments of the invention,
in other embodiments of the invention the OTTI, STTC and PV layers
will be stacked in the order shown but may also have an intervening
layer between one or more of the OTTI, SSTC and PV layers.
[0033] The embodiments of the invention described above are
intended to be merely exemplary; numerous variations and
modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art. All
such variations and modifications are intended to be within the
scope of the present invention as defined in the appended
claims.
* * * * *